Twilight at night

“I love you,” whispered the filly, eyes shinning with adoration and shoulders shaking with uncertainty. She huddled close for warmth and protection

“I know,” Celestia answered.

“I'll always love you. No matter what,” the filly buried her face into her chest in a manner that was as unbecoming as it was pleasant.

Her hoof reached around the filly's shoulders on it's own and pressed her close. The tender mortal life pressed against her. Delicate and soft and loving. So tragically innocent.

So selfish and greedy.

She looked up and saw them standing there. The vast and terrible field of eyes of her beloved subjects. They looked and saw and judged.

“Please,” begged the Princess of the sun.

She felt the weight of those eyes bearing down upon her all the harder.

“Please, don't make me do this.”

“Let me love you, forever,” the filly murmured in bliss.

The ceremonial yoke around the goddess's neck weighed heavily and grew hot. Her obligation, her duty, her responsibility.

“I need you to stop, Twilight. I need you to get over this silly crush,” She forced herself to say. Forced herself to deny this filly and the warming in her cheeks.

“It's not a crush.”

The words resounded with truth. The alicorn's heart swelled with joy.

Yes, yes, love me, love me forever, make me forget for a time the weight of centuries. Let me have your life, let me live life instead of enduring it. Make me whole for whatever short time you have.

The filly's flesh began to fuse into her, their bodies bleeding together.

The eyes weighed upon her. Her yoke crushed down upon her. They reminded her of her duty. To guide by example.

And the example she must guide all of her little ponies by today was simple.

The Princess conjured a simple knife from nothing. It glinted with malicious purpose.

The good of the many must come before the good of the few. She must do this. For the good of Equestria it's self.

The blade slide between the two ponies separating and dividing.

The filly screamed in outrage at the betrayal.

* * *

Celestia awoke alone in the dark. On her bed, in her castle and far far removed from the love of her Student.

She humoured herself with sad sigh before rolling over and trying to get back to sleep. She had a busy day ahead of her. Just like every day.

The Goddess smiled to herself. She could humour herself with more then just a sigh.

White light billowed forth from her horn sliding under the blankets, filling them taking a shape, pressing tight and caressing her regal form just so.

“I love you, Princess,” said the shape as it began to take on a purple hue.

“I know, my faithful student.”

The not-Twilight mounted the solar alicorn forcefully. Magic flowed hot and free fueling the simulacra's growing density.

Angry and triumphant it ground into her nethers. Hungrily it nipped at her chest.

“Love me,” it demanded as it drew a shudder from her.

“I love you, I love you so much. Please...”

Viciously it made love to her. Remorselessly it drove her.

“It isn't a crush!” It looked at her with Twilight's eyes, alive with challenge. Magic was flowing faster now. It was starting to take on the personality template of the mare it was imitating.

“I know, I knew, please...”

“You can't do this,” it whispered to her, it's voice wracked with simulated pain.

“Please...”

“Don't send me away!” It screamed and ended. Dispersed into vapour. Abandoning her, leaving her unfulfilled and empty.

“...forgive me,” she murmured to herself, she let out a soft ragged sob.

Wrapping the blankets tighter she rolled over and sought sleep.

“Thou should know I came to enquire as to your unusual nightmare. Witnessing your erotic fantasy play was wholly an unintentional bonus,” the darkness at the foot of her bed said with an evil smirk unique to smirkers of the sisterly sort.

Celestia placed a pillow over her head.

“I find it a shade melancholy myself,” continued the darkness, as it stepped up onto the bed. “Perhaps thou would like to speak of it?”

“Perhaps I would not,” she replied through her pillow of protection.

“Perhaps I will sit here and listen until thou are finished telling me about it,” the dark princess of the night settled down upon the bed.

Time passed. The sisters patiently waited, each for the other to yield.

A contest of wills, a clash of might, open conflict between the immortal deities of Equestria. Nothing moved and the world held it's breath.

“She loved me,” Celestia finally admitted.

“She loves thee still.”

“I sent her away. Just to the far tower. It was for her own good.”

“This troubles thee, so?”

“Yes.”

“You loved her?”

“Yes.”

“Thou banished her for demanding the love that she deserved?”

Celestia looked at her sister for a time. Considering, comparing and evaluating.

“I did,” she replied at last.

“It is bold, thou should know. To demand love. A pony needs love like they need breath. Of course they deserve it and are entitled to it.”

“Luna, I...”

“But to demand it, to force it, without thought for the consequence, without care, that is the path of the nightmare.”

“But she was just a filly.”

“Is she still?”

Silence echoed between them. The unmentioned suggestion sat with them on the bed.

“I took a young student for a lover once,” started Celestia. “Word soon got out. At first there was some shock. A few angry letters. But soon it subsided. It wasn't really all that bad.”

“But then a respected craftsman took a young apprentice as her husband. Then it spread and became a bit of a fad. Soon most masters of any sort took lovers from their apprentices. It became so muddled for the courts that any sort of sexual misconduct between masters and their apprentices was soon simply ignored or swept under the rug. Even after my student had passed away it continued on as a tradition.”

“That is terrible,” Luna raised an eyebrow in shock.

“It took another two hundred years to stamp it out completely. It just isn't the kind of thing I want my ponies to live with.”

“So thou lead by example. Most virtuous of thee. But is she still?”

“Luna, she will always be my student.”

“She is no longer a child and even now she blossoms into a master without equal.”

“No! You can't do this!” The purple filly behind her yelled in defiance.

“Surely you could take the risk to claim her?”

Tears hot and wet flowed past her regal cheeks. With a wing she gestured to a guard. She couldn't face her dear Twilight like this. She shouldn't have to see her like this.

“Remove her.”

“For loves sake surely...”

The sound of hooves sliding against marble. The scrabbling pitiable defiance. She screamed as her heart was sundered and her trust betrayed.

“No,” Celestia interrupted. “My darling Twilight deserves better.”